Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen.Northern Expeditionary Army
In the narrow alley in the middle of the second street to the east of the Wanjialou Ancestral Hall, there is a small coffin shop; although this coffin shop is small, everyone who has visited Wanjialou knows about Wancai Coffin Shop of.
In the remote north, there are taboos in all walks of life; only the business of opening a coffin shop has the most taboos; therefore, those who study carpentry, unless it is absolutely necessary, do not want to rely on dead people for food, and engage in this despondent business; In folklore, there are many stories about coffin shops, and it seems that even the ghosts have a mockery of these ghost eaters.
Wancai Coffin Shop is famous because there is only one shop in the town of Wanjialou; whoever falls down must lie in a coffin made by Wancai Coffin Shop.
The descendants of Wanjia and other families always have such a traditional consciousness, thinking that their distant ancestors were military generals of the Ming Dynasty. Since they are the descendants of the generals, they would rather live on the streets than work in the five professions; As far as the second room is concerned, it would be better to have a few more villains like Wan Shu, who like to eat and cheat, than to earn a living in a serious manner.Because of this, all those who run teahouses, stall shops, shaving heads, mending bowls, bricklayers, smith shops, and mason shops in Wanjialou are all people with foreign surnames, and only this coffin shop is surnamed Wan. It's open.
Wancai's family was poor, and he didn't want to rely on the help of his tribe for alms. He went out with a small burden when he was young. He learned this craft on the south bank of the Sanhe River. After returning, he opened a coffin shop; I have privately discussed that people with the surname Wan have a decent family style, even if they are so poor that they have no roof to live on and no place to stand on, so that their thin spines are glued to the stone wall of the ancestral hall, they should not open a coffin shop. Live off the dead.
However, these gossips can only be said behind the scenes.Wancai has such a stubborn temper and doesn't listen to those gossips. If someone talks about how he runs a coffin shop in person, he will swell his neck and yell at people's faces with his nostrils: "I, Wancai, open a coffin shop." , To not scalp the dead ghosts, pay for what you pay for, don't do anything wrong with your heart, even if ghosts knock at the door at night? !As long as I don't split the ancestral tablet of the deceased in the ancestral hall and sell it as a match, no one will care about me? !
Because of Wancai's struggle to the end, Wancai's coffin shop not only opened, but also those gossips were diluted with the passage of time.
In fact, this bustling town really needs such a coffin shop. Before Wancai opened the coffin shop, the rich and wealthy families in the town, as long as they were old, had prepared good timber early. Ask a carpenter to come to the house to prepare the birthday materials, and paint them every other year, in case the head falls down, there are ready-made birthday materials for burial, and ordinary people can't afford the kind of large coffins that are always dying. In the early days of the year, it was not only too long a journey, it was inconvenient to transport, and it took a lot of time to find someone to take an ox cart to a town market 40 miles away from the Great Wilderness to buy a coffin. This situation was eliminated after Wancai's coffin was opened. .
The days passed by, and to Wancai, the days were always so dull and boring. In that deep well-like long and narrow windowless shop, there was no difference whether it was sunny or rainy, and spring and autumn were all gloomy and cold. He has a dark face, like a ruthless evening lady, sometimes he raises his head and looks at the shoveled wall covered with mildew-green rain marks and the brown-yellow-black beam roof covered with cobwebs, and suddenly feels that he is a ridiculous figure , There is deep-seated sadness in the smile; this dark shop is just a big coffin, and I am opening the small coffin for others in the big coffin.
Sharp chisels and flat chisels, like woodpeckers with long beaks, are pecking at sections of wood. The empty sound hits the ancient wall. The sound of bursting out and the sound of hitting back rush together, pushing people Ding dong ding dong, ding dong ding dong, the tip of the chisel is not only chiseling holes in the wood, but also hollowing out people's hearts.The yellow and skinny apprentice has just learned to use a rough plane. He is planing coffin boards on the long bench. The shavings rise upwards through the planing holes, pile up high like a tower, and then fall down and spread on the ground. On the ground, the slow and gloomy air is filled with the mixed smell of various woods, which is always the same unchanging fragrance of death, as if it intends to give the dead a little comfort.
The days go by like that, in the carving and knocking of ding dong ding dong, spring and autumn, cloudy and sunny days are all knocked away, coffins are knocked out one after another, sold out one after another, and the shop is opened in Wancai In the nearly 20 years since then, Wanjialou has put many familiar faces into the long box made by himself. !It’s good to buy drunk people with a wine pot in Wanliang shop, or to sit on a long bench with hands on knees in Shang’s teahouse and talk about the past and the present, the poor, the rich, the cowardly, the powerful Yes, all forms of life are settled in this long box.
When it comes to looking at life, no one sees it more indifferently than Wan Cai.
The coffins are finished one by one, and they are sorted and arranged in rows. The best large coffins are single wooden coffins dug out of thousand-year-old green cypress or fragrant wood from deep mountains. There are no such huge trees in the northern plains. When I first learned the craft, I only I heard the legend from the master that the fragrant wood was felled by loggers in the mountains thousands of miles away in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Merchants and timber merchants tie the whole batch of purchased giant logs into huge wooden rafts (that is, rafts.) and release them down the mighty river, commonly known as rowing, also known as rowing.
People who eat this kind of food have given their lives to the turbulent river. They go out with huge sums of money, even if nothing happens along the way. Come on, it will always take several years. Sometimes bad luck, when the raft hits a rock when passing the Three Gorges, or gets stuck in the shallows, it depends on God's blessing.
In those legends, the hardships experienced by those who released the row were described as more difficult than Tang Monk's journey to the west to seek scriptures. Those river spirits, those water monsters, ghost whirlpools as big as millstones, and goose feathers also sank to the bottom. The cold water pool made everyone who heard it shudder.But what do those legends symbolize?For a coffin shop, it is just an exaggeration to the customers why they charge such an exorbitant price for a high-quality coffin, so what about a coffin made of gold and silver? !Can't take it off, put it in a pair of stinky skin bags, and bury it silently in the loess.
What is lamentable is that ordinary people in the world don't care about life but only pity death, and they care more about the ignorant bones after death than they care about the miserable years of life; The majestic coffin was mesmerizing, and even the poor, who were hungry all day long, dreamed day and night that they could afford to sleep in such a coffin after death.Legends are always tempting. It is said that the dead sleep in fragrant wooden coffins, insects and ants will not eat, cold and cold will not invade, and the corpse will not be damaged for a hundred years; Happy children and grandchildren.But unless the coffin shop owner intends to deceive people for a big deal, these are pitifully stupid!
How about thousands of years, if it is really tied to the coffin, then? !Then all the powerful and wealthy people in the past dynasties should be prosperous forever?It is said that there were eighty-one tombs of Cao Cao in the Wei Dynasty, but in the end it was still unavoidable that the corpses were looted. It's like being gnawed by someone secretly, how can there be any prestige in life? !But these can't arouse those stupid people; if you can't sleep in the fragrant wood coffin, you can go back to the second-class coffin. People who are slightly worse, at least compete for the thirteenth and fifteenth segments of the circle center.As for the eighteenth paragraph, it is ordinary, and then there are rubbing wooden coffins, white wooden coffins and thin-skinned materials.
Ding dong dong ding, ding dong ding dong, in the eyes of the old carpenter Wancai, almost all coffins look the same, the big one is only bigger than the outer shell, no matter how big it is, it cannot fit two people inside; some coffins It takes a lot of energy to make it. After it is finished, it is carried on the shelf for primer, and then tung oil, lime, and glutinous rice juice are poured into the joints of the coffin, and then the outer paint is applied, and then tung oil is applied. As far as the carving of longevity characters is concerned, it takes ten and a half months of effort to carve delicate patterns, as if there is no carving or inlaying of longevity characters, and the dead will not sleep in peace and be ghosts.
The more troubled times are, the more people focus on preparing a good wedding cake for themselves, but the more troubled times are, the fewer people can really sleep with the best wedding cakes without any problems!When Mr. Wan was buried, he made a few cypress round-centered ten-fold heads himself. Later, the wood jumped and rose, and he could only make thirteenth and eighteenth tiers. Later, he could even afford thirteenth and eighteenth tiers. There are not many people left, so I have to beat more wooden coffins and white wooden coffins. I also feel that breaking these coffins will save money for the family of the dead, and it is safe enough to beat them.
However, Wancai, whose hair has already turned gray, is neither blind nor deaf. Of course, he has heard the scenes in various villages in the Northland, and knows that only the Wanjialou in the corner of the barren sky, people generally sleep in coffins after death. In the rest of the places, it would be good if there were two reed mats rolled up when the person died, and the top and bottom were not exposed, and the grave was dug deeper to avoid being dug by dogs!
When someone talked about these situations, they always sighed and said to Wancai: Maybe after a period of time, the war will hit Wanjialou, and people here will not be able to sleep in coffins, so your coffin shop should be closed. La!
Let it go, Wancai always said this: I think that although people don't have to fight to sleep in a big coffin and spend a fortune in vain, they don't want to see groups of wild dogs walking with human bones in their mouths. the world!
Go to Dongyan City and pull up guns to protect the salt dam. Except for the necessary rice and grain, the north-south traffic is cut off, and the money can't buy the wood for the coffin, so I have to use the materials at hand. Some white wooden coffins, this time Young Master led the gun team to attack Yangjiao Town, but Yangjiao Town was not defeated, but Xiao Xie'er and his gang killed more than a dozen people, and each of them slept in a white wooden coffin.
I am not talking about any taboos, a dozen murderous ghosts sleep together in the coffin I made by hand, and I have never encountered it in the early years. I also feel that I can't make a penny from the dead, let alone not earning a penny, and deducting the due manual money, which is half a month of hard work for them. I don't know what kind of wood rises? !After allocating the coffin fee, there is not even enough to buy materials.
After working in this business for a long time, even the master and his apprentices have developed such a professional habit of breaking the coffin during the day, lifting the lid of the coffin at night, and falling asleep in front of the bed.If it is a hot day, you can choose a coffin near the aisle where there is wind to sleep. If it is a cold day, you only need to remove half of the coffin lid, and you can sleep in the coffin at all. Covered with a thin quilt, the whole body can be warmed and sweated.
A large number of coffins were sold, and the three masters and apprentices only had two white wooden coffins to sleep in. The two disciples took one, one for the heart and the other for the lid, and Wancai took one for himself. The lid was covered with a small mattress. In the heart of the coffin was a flask of wine; there was no longer any wood to build the coffin, so the ax, hammer, drill, and saw were temporarily packed away, painted with butter and hung on the wall. Only then did I feel that my life was a ding-dong ding-dong like breathing, two He couldn't hear that, he felt as if he was on his deathbed, his lungs were so stuffy that his lungs would explode, and the two little apprentices had nowhere to put their hands and feet, so they grabbed their brooms and came to sweep the shop, Wan Cai stopped him.
Get the hell out of here for me, you two bastards!He scolded and said: I am as stupid as a donkey, I can't even draw the ink line straight, the gouging holes are not neat, and I don't know how to plan. I don't know the severity of the planing. I haven't closed the business yet. How can you sweep the shop? !
I don't mean to scold anyone, but I feel that the coffin shop always looks like a coffin shop. Near the benches, the shavings and sawdust cover the floor, and there are scattered pieces of wood everywhere. There is a kind of prosperity like spring flowers everywhere, if even this little prosperity is swept away, only two cold coffins are left, not to mention people, I am afraid that even ghosts will not be able to stay.
To buy two dime for dinner for me, he lay on the lid of the coffin, picked up the tin pot from the inside of the coffin with his backhand, and told one of the apprentices, "Walk a few more steps, and go to the cabinet at Wanliangpu to beat it. If the original bubble does not leak flowers, go back to Lao He's burden, cut two or two bundles of hooves, and bring a bag of salted peanuts along with it, and pick the ones that are cooked thoroughly.
The door of the store faces west, and the day is gloomy, and there is only the scene before sunset, when a feeble and faint shadow of the setting sun slanted from under the door lintel, falling on the black wall bricks, like a dying sick face , obliquely shining there reluctantly.Every time this kind of time comes, people feel melancholy for no reason, cold and gloomy melancholy pours into the bones of people like lead, and their hands and feet are sore and lazy.
There are always some children playing in the stone alley outside the shop, laughing like foam, and many children always have a mysterious and ominous premonition about the coffin shop, as if there is really some kind of legendary coffin hidden in the shop. Ghosts, like flying out of the dark twilight to snatch someone; they rode bamboo horses in groups, uttered clattering shouts, and rushed past the shop door like a tidal wave, letting the people be brave. The shattered silence gathered again amidst the distant shouts.The children who yelled like this many years ago have all been put into this long box and no longer speak. Wancai's throat is itchy. Why hasn't the little apprentice who went to drink wine not come back? !
You go look for him, little button.Wan Cai said to another apprentice: It's getting dark, don't squat by the corner of the door, dazed like a bat.
The apprentice named Xiaokouer agreed, turned around and pulled out his shoes. Just as he pulled out one shoe, there was a thin shadow blocking the door. His shoulders could be seen shaking.
What, Heisuoer?Wan Cai said: Where are you going for a long time?
The one who didn't speak, just babbled.
You are a fucking bear!What are you crying about?Who bullied you? !Wancai turned to the shoe puller and said, "Light the oil lamp in the wall hole for me, little button."
Xiao Kou'er responded and went to touch and light the lamp, Wan Cai chased Hei Suo'er again and asked, "Where did you buy the wine and vegetables for me?"
Master master master, Hei Suo'er said in a crying voice: I was beaten by others!
Wan Cai turned over suddenly, sat up from the coffin lid and said: Tell me, tell me, Heisuoer, what's going on? !
The vegetable oil lamp in the wall hole was lit, and the dizzy yellow light illuminated the face of Hei Suo'er who was limping over. One of his foreheads was swollen with a bruise the size of a cup, and his right leg was also injured. , jumping and hitting the toes on the ground, presumably to protect the pain.
I went to Wanliangpu to get wine, and he said: Who would have thought that the gates at both ends of the street were blocked by the gun team, and the people on the gun team would not allow me to enter the gate, so I took the jug and showed them , clamoring to go in for a drink, a guy hit me with the butt of a gun, snatched the flagon from my hand and squashed it!Look at him holding up the squashed jug and saying: What a tin pot, he has been trampled like this!master
Stupid, stupid, Wancai said: You didn't explain it clearly to them, you are an apprentice in Wancai's coffin shop, did you go to Wanliang shop to get wine? !The gun team is the gun team of Wanjialou, not the tigers and wolves who wear two and a half feet in the defense army. You can tell them clearly, how dare they stick out the butt of their guns to mess with people? !
I've said it all, master, Hei Suo'er wiped his tears from his cuffs and said: They just chased me away and told me not to talk too much, and when I spoke again, they kicked my knee again.
What a fucking rebellion!Wan Cai patted his knees, his eyes could shoot sparks, and he swears and said, "My apprentice, I don't want to be beaten and scolded, so let them do it?" !I'd like to go and have a look for myself, to see which gun team of the Fang family dared to be so barbaric?It's fine, if it doesn't make sense, I want him to pay for my jug, and I have to come to pay for it for me, this is really fucking, it's unreasonable!
Me, I said Brother Wancai, why are you so angry with your apprentice?Shouting so that the whole alley can be heard?At an unknown moment, another black shadow approached the door, and Wan Cai yelled towards him. The black shadow spoke in a thick, melancholy nasal voice, as if he had a cold.
No matter how the voice changes, Wan Cai will know who it is when he hears it.
I'm not angry with the little apprentice, I'm angry with that unreasonable guy!Wancai said: "Criticize it for me, big die!"I asked Hei Suo'er to go to Wanliangpu to get wine for me. He walked to the gate at the entrance of the street and was stopped by the gunmen for no reason. It doesn't matter if you have to seal the gate for something. I also have to calmly say that it was some ignorant guy who smashed Hei Suo'er's gun butt across the face, squashed the flagon in his hand, and kicked him on the crook of the knee.Why don't you pull a gun to fight Jiang Fangjun?Even the little Xie'er from Yangjiao Town couldn't stand it, he just ran back, but he has the face to bully a little boy, what kind of thing is this? !Hey, am I right?My Wancai is definitely not deliberately protecting my apprentice, but the other party is too unreasonable!Tomorrow, I want to ask Master Gu, what happened to Wanjialou?To seal the gates in the street to prevent people from entering and leaving, and to indulge the guns so violently? !
Hey, no wonder you lost your temper, bro.Da Banya said: You spend all day in the black corner making coffins, how do you know the changes outside? !In the past two days, the east and south sides of Wanjialou looked like locusts, and tens of thousands of refugees came. Gu Lord was afraid that they would spoil the grass at will, so he sent all the gun teams from each house to the outside of the town to protect the grass. Only the gun team of the second room was left to guard the fair. There were not enough guns and manpower, and they were afraid that the bandits would take the opportunity to rob them, so they sealed off all the inner and outer gates. Is there a reason for the lack of anger?
Well, Wan Cai said: Since Master Gu had ordered me, I considered myself unlucky, but I didn't have dinner, my throat was itchy to my heart.
I have a drink here.Big Mater said: Look here!He patted his unbuttoned gown that was tied by the belt and said: I always carry a jug of original brew, and you can drink it.
As soon as Wancai heard that there was old wine to drink, Wancai's anger disappeared, and he ordered Xiaokouer to lie down and rest with Hei Suoer on his arm, and patted the coffin lid with his hands and said, "Come on, come on, my good brother Big Banya, Why are you free to come and see me tonight?Aren't you eagerly serving Master Gu?
I eat at the ancestral hall, and I have to serve whoever is in charge of clan affairs.Dabanya said in a muffled voice, "From the old man of the house, through Baoye, Yeye, waiter to Guye, this is my heartfelt words in front of you, Guye is really difficult to take care of, fortunately, I am a casual man." A friendly person, otherwise, I would have quit this job a long time ago.
Let's not talk about this for now, Wancai said: How about we have a few cups of it first?If you don't shy away from it, come here; let me roll the little mattress like this, and we old brothers will drink on the coffin lid.
All right, Da Banya said: "Things have gotten to this point, even if I don't want to be drunk today, I won't be drunk today."I said brother, why are there only two white wooden coffins in your shop? !
There is no stock left.Wan Cai spread his hands, smiled wryly and said: If I can buy wood to make a coffin, why would I want to drink old wine in my spare time? !As a person, I can be regarded as a born toiler, and my hands can't be idle all day long.
Big Banya sat on the coffin lid with his butt tilted up, and took out the tin jug from his arms. Wancai touched the jug of wine, put his big mouth on his small mouth and took a sip first.
Good wine, really good, he handed the jug back to Da Banya, thinking of something to say: You have nothing else to do?
It can be said that there is nothing else, Da Banya also took a sip of the mulled wine, wiped the saliva from the spout of the jug with his palm, handed the jug over and said: "Master Gu told me to come and order two coffins for tomorrow night. After the meeting of the ancestral hall, Master Gu will bring someone to carry it away.
Or, that is, these two, there is no choice.Wancai said: After selling these two coffins, my apprentice and I have nowhere to sleep, so we have to make another bed on the floor!There are no coffins in the coffin shop, and the shop has to be closed even if it does not stop.
Big Mater took another sip of his wine, raised his upper lip and hissed.
Hey, tell me, Big Mater, why did Master Gu buy a coffin again when he was doing well?Then Wancai suddenly remembered to ask: Tell me, Dabanya, who in the town has fallen down? !
Big Mater frowned, and the black shadow of his eyebrows blocked his eyes.
Asking this why, he said: You drink your wine!
The small oil lamp in the wall hole spits out black oily smoke, and the small flame of the lamp cap is like a greedy red tongue, licking the brick on the roof of the wall hole, probably it has not been cleaned for a long time, and the black smoke traces are coming towards the wall. Climb up to the top of the beam, and even a section of the beam is blackened.The two sat opposite each other on the lid of the coffin, passed the jug over and over, drank the wine one after another, and didn't say anything for a long time.
It was foggy outside, and a mass of milky white fog squeezed in from the half-open shop door, making the light tongue of the oil lamp dizzy, but the two of them still passed the jug and drank the wine, as if they didn't notice it.
The patrolling clapper knocked over and over again.
If you don't explain, I'm always restless.Wancai said: "Who the hell is dead, who wants to sleep in these two coffins?"
I can't speak for Master Gu, you know, brother.The throat of the big die is throbbing: unless I want to sleep in a third coffin!Don't ask me any more, you have the heart to watch my big die die with a reed mat? !
Wan Cai stared at him blankly.
I don't understand, he murmured: I don't understand what you are talking about? !Are you drunk?
I wish I were drunk.Big Mater said.
The oil in the lamp was almost exhausted, and the flame flickered up and down; Hei Suo'er, who was sleeping in another white wooden coffin, fell asleep, turning over from time to time, talking in his dreams. The little button on the lid was still awake, staring at Liangtou, as if thinking of something.The two of them were still drinking the mulled wine one mouthful at a time. While drinking, they were shaking the tin jug to hear how much wine was left in the jug.The patrolling clapper knocked again, the wine in the jug was finished, and the old wine was so full of energy, the two shared a jug of wine, their eyes were a little hazy, what did Wan Cai think, the face of Big Banya They are all double, no matter how you look at the big die, Wancai's face is also two.
At this moment the little light went out.
Wancai was a little dazed when the alcohol broke out, Da Banya carried the tin pot, walked out slantedly, and hid in the dark mist.He didn't know it, he just fell asleep with his clothes crooked on the lid of the coffin, and suddenly felt that there was a sound shaking him in his sleep, and only after he woke up could he hear that it was the bell on the roof of the ancestral hall.
Guan Baye, who was lying on the bed in the Wanliang Pu suite, also heard the bell.
Yesterday I was in a hurry to get out of bed, and tried to walk around the room with a cane. I felt that the injury on my left leg has improved a lot after taking medicine and breath adjustment for a few days. When it shuts up, he can go to the front line of fire with the gun team that went to Yanshi for help to kill Jiang Fangjun!In any case, it is very important to be able to walk around with a stick. In case Master Gu is busy, I can always go to the various clans to visit the elders who are in charge of the house, or take a trip to the mouth of Shahe River and ask the brothers and sisters of Master Zhen to come forward It is true that some people were killed or injured, but Gu Ye was busy with the funeral of the deceased and delayed the important event of going to Yanshi to help, which is also considered a misunderstanding. Left the abacus thinking like this, walking, walking, thinking, unknowingly walking too much, after Ye Lai rested, I felt the muscles above the wound have bursts of severe throbbing pain, this kind of throbbing pain caused People tossed and turned, unable to close their eyes and fall asleep.
The sound of Geng Geng lingered in the dark night, and through the small courtyard outside the window and a low flower wall, Guan Baye could still see the lights on in the small building where Ai Gu lived through the lattice window, the light was very soft and dim , like a butterfly, landed on the leaves of the bonsai placed between the flower stages, trembling slightly no matter it was windy or not; when the fog began to rise outside the window, the soft and dim light was wrapped in the thick fog and turned into some sparkling lights. , Swimming light particles, seem to be stuck on the lattice between the windows.
He looked at such a light in the middle of the silent deep well-like night, and he healed his physical pain with pity for a life that has been tortured; up?The salt carts of the Old Liuhe Gang went off the road near the mouth of the Baojia River. At dusk, they rested in a wild shop surrounded by many towering old trees. The wild shop was not like ordinary wild shops, just some low Instead of a simple thatched hut and a fence made of bitter bamboo branches, it is an old mansion made of blue bricks and gray tiles, which seems to be the residence of a wealthy family in decline; perhaps it is the continuous autumn rain and the road is muddy. There were no other travelers, and in a long dark arcade, there was only a red lantern burning.
Now in the foggy night, looking at the light sticking to the window lattice, Guan Baye somehow remembered the scene of that night.
The dusk that day was grayish-brown, with dark clouds on the top of the sky, but a smear of purple haze at the bottom of the sky. People used to call autumn showers autumn fools. When there are dark clouds, it rains, and crows get their heads wet but not their feet wet. Farming proverbs are exactly the portrayal of fools in autumn. In the dark purple halo of the sunset, the long white rain feet of the shower are sprinting, shooting on the tiles like arrowheads, and there is a sound of empty and cold desolation. They seemed to be silenced by the sound of the rain, and no one bothered to say anything. Some took off the towels around their necks to wipe off the rainwater on their bodies, some bit their cigarette pipes and thought about their own thoughts, with the inscription on their foreheads Bitter stillness, desolation in the pupils, and the rain is falling, in the smoky dusk, people's nostalgia is held on the treetops that are green and black.
If you don't lose your life on the way, it will take at least three to five months to get back home, and only a few pieces of hot silver dollars sticking to the meat will be left, and you will have to go on a long journey again. Home is not like home, but like a warm and bitter dream in the boundless silence.When the green forests near and far gradually blurred, the cold rain had already pulled down the night, the boss of Shuangqiang Luo led a group of brothers into the house for dinner, and took a rest in separate rooms, leaving himself guarding the row of salt boats docked on the porch. Car: Leaning against the wall, sitting on a bundle of hay, the wind often sweeps the pattering rain from the eaves, causing a lot of faint coldness to blow on people's faces.
Suddenly, a yellow window light shines in the rainy field outside the corridor, forming a distinct picture. The light black curtain shadows running across are rippling. In the corner of the curtain shadow stands the shadow of a coal lamp with a hat. The silhouette of a young woman with a bun is facing the lamp, raising her slender hands to wear a needle, leading a thread, embroidering something with lowered eyebrows, and the pigeons in the pigeon cage on the porch are talking cooing dreams from time to time, When she was embroidering, she would let out low, almost silent sighs from time to time. Did she sigh for the chilling autumn night rain?Or is it thinking about the distant people who have not returned from a long journey?He didn't know until the next day that the lonely woman was the owner of the wild shop. Her husband was forced to go away by the Beiyang government, leaving only an old and blind mother-in-law with her to guard the wild shop.When the salt truck was about to start on the road, he saw her come out with a millet pan to feed the pigeons, and she looked at him with eyes deeper than the black well: Don't you think you are too young for a long journey?I sold the salt earlier, go home!
Now that Baye Guan thinks back, that warm and caring voice still lingers around him, but his home has long since drifted into the clouds.
It is true that people like myself should always be carrying something on their backs on long distances. The heavier the burden, the more they bear, the more comfortable they feel. Rolling down in the heart, the internal organs are all damp.How many years later, I'm afraid that the scene in Wanliangpu will become a distant dream that makes people cry? !Isn't Aigu's life experience more bleak than that of the hostess of the wild shop?
stand up!Kanto Mountain!A ghost-like voice bombards his head, you have to risk your life to fill these bleak distant dreams!Don't let it reappear in the world!The rooster crowed in the thick fog, it was so dark before dawn.The light of a square lamp was moving the black shadow on the window sill again, even though the footsteps were soft and slight, Guan Baye knew that Ai Gu had come to make a fire and boil medicine for him.
He couldn't fall asleep, so he leaned the soft pillow against the bed frame, propped up his upper body and lay half-lying to wait for the dawn. He planned not to care about his leg injury. As the city is so tight, Wanjialou can no longer delay the matter of pulling guns to help.
Ai Gu went to the porch outside the suite, hung the lantern on the porch pillar, lightly lit the clay stove, fanned the fire, and planned to cook medicine for Guan Ba Ye; It was very bright, Ba Ye didn't fall asleep, he half leaned on the pillow with a dazed expression, wondering what he was thinking about?Then he asked in surprise, "Ba Ye, you didn't sleep?"Why don't you dim the lamp and lie down to rest?
It's foggy outside.Guan Baye murmured: It would be a disaster if Jiang Fangjun took advantage of the fog to kill Yanshi!
I said, why don't you sleep for a while?
You should sleep for a while, Auntie.Guan Baye said: You don't close your eyes all night, waiting to make medicine for me, it really makes me feel uneasy
Don't say that, Ba Ye.I'm just doing some sewing for the kids.Ai Gu fanned the stove, and the flames jumped up with the wind, dyeing a small space red in the corner of the corridor filled with mist.
The sky may have already dawned, but the night fog thickens at dawn; those floating mist particles are pressed by the morning light, and all sink to the ground, stagnant and gloomy, stretched into a huge wet and cold net, Makes it impossible to see anything from a few steps away.
At this time, the huge bell on the roof of the Wanjialou ancestral hall rang.
The sound of the bell broke through the fog. The sound was astonishingly loud. When the bell first sounded, it seemed to be affected by the dense fog.The thick fog seems to have a magical power, imprisoning the bells; but when the continuous bells gather together and break through the confinement, they smash away like a wall collapsing a house, hitting countless echoes around, Those sounds are concatenated, stirring back and forth, without rest for a long time, to people's ears, it seems that it is not just the ringing of bells, but the buzzing of heaven and earth.
The bell of the ancestral hall rang so early, it must be Gu Ye who summoned the families to discuss matters!Guan Baye said: "Although I am a foreign surname, I have not dared or forgotten the friendship Wanjia treated us as brothers for many years. I should go to the ancestral hall in person to ask for help for the trapped Wanmin in Yanshi. Regardless of the gun team in Wanjialou Whether it can be pulled out in time, at least in terms of gunfire, food and grass, is also something that Yanshi urgently needs
Ai Gu didn't answer, she stopped the fan in her hand, and listened to the bell silently. She thought that in the past, when the ancestors were worshiped during the festival, before the ancestral hall bell rang, it was customary to post a confession post on the street, even if this time it was Let's discuss the clan affairs temporarily, Master Zhen and Aunt Hanying who are far away in Shahekou are the elders of the clan, they should have heard the news earlier?Up to last night, Master Zhen of Lao Qifang did not rush back to Wanjialou; these days, the gun team of Wanjialou showed no signs of pulling out their guns to assist Yanshi, Guan Baye thought that Yanshi was a little anxious Look, I'm afraid Master Gu may not be so eager? !
After Guan Baye took the decoction, the fog had gradually dissipated; Guan Baye got out of bed with his crutches, and walked to the front living room. As soon as he entered the living room door, he encountered the old accountant Cheng Qingyun coming in from the door, panting. , the expression is a little hasty.
What's the matter, Mr. Cheng?Guan Baye stopped and asked in surprise, "What happened outside?"
I said Ba Ye, and the old accountant said with a gray face, "The gates on both sides of Wanliang Shop are all closed. Not only are the gates closed, but also iron chains and big locks are added. I can't figure out what's going on?"Even when I wanted to go out of the gate, the master of the gun team stopped me.I was thinking, isn't this aimed at Ba Ye?
oh? !Guan Baye pondered for a while, then smiled lightly and said: I don't think so?I came to Wanjialou only to ask for help for Yanshi. If I like to extend a helping hand or not, it is all the business of the Wanjialou and each family. I can't force anyone. If Wanjialou refuses to pull the gun , I will go north to Chaijiabao. If all the big households in the north are afraid of offending Beiyang, I will lock up eight horses and go back to Yanshi to die with the brothers who did the trouble. There is no need for Wanjialou to deal with me.
As he spoke, he moved his crutches and staggered towards the outside.
The old accountant watched, rushed over to help and said, "Ba Ye, where are you going?"In my opinion, you'd better rest first, and let my buddy go to find out the news and see what's going on?Let me tell you again.
I don't think so.Guan Baye said: I may be a bit stubborn. For half my life, I have always held the idea of life and death, and wealth is in the sky. The word rich and honor has never been related to me. What a waste of time, now I want to go to the ancestral hall and meet Gu Ye.I don't believe the guns are going to stop me, I'm just a man with a gunshot wound, not a prisoner!At least Master Gu didn't say in front of me that he wanted to put me under house arrest? !
That's not the case, Ba Ye, the old accountant said pleadingly: What if Gu Ye turns his face down, what should you do?
That's easy, Guan Baye said stubbornly: "If Gu Ye said so, I'll go back to Wanliangpu and wait. I can deal with him however he likes. However, things may not be as good as you think." It's that serious, don't worry.
Guan Baye insisted on going out, how could an old accountant turn him around?As soon as Cheng Qingyun let go, Guan Baye stepped over the threshold and limped to the middle of the street.
霧後的朗晴天，朝陽灑一街溫暖明亮的銅黃，街心的地面仍帶著些霧露的潮濕，拐杖頭點落下去，地面上便留下一路顯明的圓形凹點兒。
程師爺說得不錯，離萬梁鋪七八丈地的街道口，凸出的磚牆中間，一道粗大的木柵門真個是關嚴了，碗粗的光滑的木柱上盤著三條青蛇似的鐵鍊，每條鐵鍊接頭的地方，都掛了一把巴掌大的頭號羊角鎖。這樣的木柵門不僅是萬家樓有，幾乎所有北地的大小集鎮也都有；當初人們在一條街道的中段造了幾道柵門，大都是為了防盜匪用的；恐怕萬一有大群明火執杖的盜匪湧來捲劫時，鎮上人便可立即封上柵門抗匪。
關八爺皺著眉頭略一思忖，便覺出在這樣的大天白日裏，又無盜匪捲劫，萬家樓實在沒有封起街內各處柵門的道理，無怪乎程青雲那老頭兒要大驚小怪，疑神疑鬼了。
他扶著拐杖，正對著關閉的柵門走過去，就見原分坐在柵門兩邊長條青石上的兩個端著洋槍的漢子，神色緊張的互使個眼色，緩緩的站起身來，脅下挾著槍，有意無意的把槍枝擺動著，而那兩支黑洞洞的閃光的槍口，總在暗暗的瞄向著自己。
兩位早啊！關八爺隔著木柵門，安閒的招呼說。
那兩個漢子又互丟了一個眼色，齊朝關八爺說：八爺，您早。
昨夜起了好大的霧，今早的霧更濃，好像烈火上的蒸籠似的。關八爺又說：沒想到退得那麼快，轉眼就見陽光了。
是啊，八爺。一個說：這多年來，都沒起過這麼濃的大霧了。
春來的濃霧主兵凶，不是什麼好兆頭，八爺。另一個接渣兒說。望清了關八爺孑然一身，沒牽馬，沒帶槍。祗扶著一支拐杖在手上，兩人的神色就鬆弛下來，一句遞一句的跟關八爺聊起天來了。
外邊起什麼變故嗎？關八爺說：我猜假如沒變故，萬家樓不至於落鎖關柵門的。
沒沒什麼變故，八爺，祗是
祗是聽說鎮外的難民湧來太多，另一個總算比較機伶些，搶著回話說：牯爺因為忙著開祠堂門，召各房族集議族事，怕那些良莠不齊的難民趁機一股腦兒湧進來，所以就吩咐咱們關上柵門。
嗯，是這麼的？關八爺隨口稱讚說：你們的牯爺外表莽撞，誰知竟這麼細心，可真算是粗中有細呢！
兩人無可奈何的跟著乾笑起來。
剛剛霧散前響鐘，就是宗祠召人議事的了，關八爺說：那麼牯爺如今是在宗祠裏，對罷？
是的，八爺。兩個當中較矮的一個說。
沙河口的珍爺也該來了罷？
沒聽說珍爺回來。較高的一個說：八爺，您的腿傷好轉得真快，咱們全沒料著，一晃眼功夫您就能下床走動了。
八爺您的腿傷既沒復元，還是不宜多走動。較矮的一個意會到較高的一個岔開話頭的用意，便忙不迭的搶著說：依我看，您還是回萬梁鋪去歇著罷。
謝謝兩位關注我，關八爺指著柵門，目光炯炯的望著那兩個人說：煩請兩位不嫌舉手之勞，替我開開柵門，帶我去宗祠去見牯爺罷
這個這個較矮的一個後退半步，囁嚅著，一臉的難色。
牯爺他他吩咐較高的一個在關八爺目光逼視之下，也猶豫起來了。
牯爺既說防著難民湧進萬家樓，我總不是難民罷，關八爺說：我要見的正是牯爺，你兩位放心，牯爺假如因此見責，自有我替你們擔待。
也就在關八爺說話的當口，柵門外的兩邊街廊下面，人頭慢慢的多起來了，關八爺理直氣壯的言語，引得好些人跟著出聲批斷槍隊上不該這般小心火燭，大白天還不開柵門，這一來，兩個漢子更僵持不下去了。
矮個兒紅著臉翻開短襖的下襬，就要從肚兜裏掏鎖匙，高個兒拉住他的手說：等一歇，等一歇，容我再跟八爺告個罪，我說，八爺，您是有雅量的人，定不會讓咱們底下人為難，這兒離宗祠不遠，讓我過去稟告牯爺一聲，回頭再來開柵門，攙扶您去宗祠罷。
關八爺還沒及答話，就見街廊邊有個半老頭兒，身上穿件藍布短襖，腰間繫著一條軟巾，手裏拎著一隻扁扁的酒壺，撥開人群，一路歪斜直撞出來說：好哇，我道是誰有他娘天大的膽子敢打我的徒弟？ !原來是老二房的兩個小子！你們敢打我那外姓徒弟，當然也能打我這旁房的叔叔了！
那那全是誤會，矮個兒說：萬才大叔，那是因為黑鎖兒那小子先出口罵人，我才揍他的。
你揍人使槍托？ !你揍得真好！萬才的嗓子更帶火了：街廊下同族的叔伯大爺們全聽著，牯爺剛主族事這才幾天，老二房是人是鬼，全他娘小船沒舵整橫了！他使槍托揍我那十來歲的小徒弟的腦袋，差點沒把他那腦袋砸得像這把酒壺一樣的扁？ !這話我正要進祠堂去叩頭喊冤，跟牯爺和各房族的執事去講去
我的個好大叔，您先甭嚷嚷好不好？高個兒急忙上去作揖打躬的賠不是說：就算咱們小哥兒倆得罪了您，老二房並沒開罪您，您又何必嚷得這麼難聽，您要咱們叩頭賠禮，咱們照辦就是
誰稀罕你們叩那種臭頭？ !萬才指著那柵門說：人家關八爺好歹是萬家樓的貴客，上回朱四判官夜捲萬家樓，若沒有八爺他跟六合幫那干漢子挺身相助，你們兩個小子，祗怕早就腦袋通風，躺進我的棺材了！如今你們脫了瘡疤忘記疼，八爺他要進出柵門，也要脫褲子放屁窮磨唆？ !鎖匙拿來我開鎖，有事我擔待著，八爺他又不是罪犯，怕他跑了！
不容矮個兒退縮，撥開高個兒猶疑的阻擋，萬才伸手就從矮個兒的肚兜裏摘出那串鎖匙，把柵門打開了，笑著舉起被踩扁的酒壺說：昨夜這兩個小子踩扁了我的酒壺，我沒要他們賠壺還算好的，可見我萬才睡了半輩子棺材蓋兒，看得開，容得人，忍得氣，如今柵門是我萬才開的，我不賴著誰，你們愛喝酒，我請客，咱們到萬梁鋪喝早酒去，誰講我沒錢？ !昨夜牯爺要大板牙到我鋪裏去，剛訂了我鋪裏的最後兩口棺材！
關八爺剛走出柵門，聽著萬才這樣嚷叫，不由楞了一楞，再瞅瞅槍隊上那兩個傢伙的臉，全都變了顏色，便溫和的說：兩位別介意，權且引我到宗祠去見牯爺去罷，有難處，在我身上就是了。
是的，八爺。高個兒苦笑說：也祗有望您成全了。
關八爺轉過街口，拐進了宗祠前的方場，太陽業已升得很高了，從高樓背後斜射在那片寬闊廣大的方場上，使保爺家宅前的那道影壁長牆輝亮著。他一點兒也沒介意兩支長槍像押解般的跟隨著他，他陷在閃電般掠來的感觸之中。
他不能忘記當面矗立著的石砌的高樓，不能忘記這塊曾經是燈火輝煌，轉瞬又曾血肉橫飛的方場，承平和亂動，歡樂和哀愁，笑聲和血雨之間的界限，全在人心擺動的那一瞬；假如人心沒有私欲，這世上必無恩恩怨怨的糾結和無謂的爭端！
這些日子當中所經歷的風風雨雨，都植源在這裏，在這裏，自己率著六合幫的弟兄義助萬家樓，和朱四判官開始結怨；這裏的怨仇在南道上的小荒鋪，在鄔家渡北的枯樹林，在鹽市的廟會中結了血果，使許多親切的人臉歸入黑夢裏，紙剪似的落紛紛！
就算是這場恩怨在羊角鎮的大廟前那般了結了，也祗落得血染青石方坪，一死一傷，能說不夠悲慘？最使人痛惜的是自己一直錯估了朱四判官，把他目為世上一等狡獪刁蠻、兇橫暴戾的惡漢，直到最後才發現他是世上稀有的直性人，是亂世人間從四面八方逼著他，把他硬塑成那樣，他原不該遭到那樣淒慘的下場。
在這裏開始，激發了自己救民拯世的悲情，才會有鹽市兵起，才會有幾場撼天震地的大攻撲，才會有遍野的難民但總要有一番終結，不能再讓北洋軍得逞，使自己遺憾終生。
在這裏，是的，在這裏，使自己目睹保爺被族中人花錢買去了一條命，跟著是業爺被暗害，留下一宗使自己耿耿在懷的疑案，自己因不願胡亂猜疑，至少痛心著在這樣莊嚴的宗祠樓影下，仍隱有滿心邪欲的奸人。那夜浴血苦戰的光景仍在眼前的空幻中紛湧著，亂拋的火把，燃燒著的隨風翻滾的燈籠，歪斜橫倒的亮轎和遍地人屍，那一切雖已在時間的風中遠去，但在一個人的一生中，仍有著更多難以逆料的變化橫在眼前，誰能知道在下一個一刻裏，自己將面臨著什麼？ !
姑不論那將是什麼？自己都將必安心的擔承了！一個活著的人，就必得擔承。
他停住心裏的紛繁思緒，轉臉去望著宗祠。一對威武的白石獅子在石座上昂立著，護守著在廿多級長階之上的高樓的正門，那也就是萬家宗祠的正門；如今那兩扇巨大的正門正大開著，有兩排槍隊中精壯的槍手分列在兩邊，長階盡處的平臺上，安放著一尊雕花的鐵鼎，鼎裏燒著火把的香柱，煙篆在陽光裏朝開騰散著。
他借力於脅間的拐杖，緩緩的走上長階儘管他傷口之上的筋肉，在左腳點地著力時泛著劇痛，但他拒絕攙扶。
關八爺在宗祠裏出現，是小牯爺沒料想到的，當他聽人報說八爺已經進入祠堂時，他的臉色立時就萎頓下來了。人說病虎不脫威，一點也不錯。他默默的想道：料不到一個帶著槍傷而又手無寸鐵的關八，竟有這麼大的潛在的威勢。當關八爺穿過祠堂天井中石砌的通道時，祠堂正殿裏廿一把高背太師椅上，萬家七支房族中所有執事的人全都離座站了起來，帶著一臉虔敬的神情，肅迎著他，這情形使他知道想利用宗祠集議時誣陷關八的計謀又成了泡影了。
最使人惱恨的是他來得不早不晚，正趕上自己要著人召喚萬振全那幫心腹來指證對方穢行的時候。
為了誣陷關八爺，牯爺不知在暗地裏打了多少回算盤，花費了多少夜的腦筋；他像蜘蛛網一樣的、細心織就一面交錯的大網，使自己縮伏在網心等著關八這一隻折翅的飛蛾。
由於他做賊心虛，使他不敢親自出面，直截了當的差幾個亡命徒，帶槍撞進萬梁鋪去，像捉拿盜匪一般的把關八爺拎出來打掉，他知道假如這樣做，會干犯眾怒，合成為眾矢之的；業爺慘死不久，好像一塊還沒脫蓋的新瘡疤，由它自脫還顯不出痕跡來，若如因為除關八而牽動這塊瘡疤，自己不但主不了族事，祗怕在萬家樓連立腳之地全沒有了。
想來想去，除關八祗有一個法門兒，那就是自己永不動聲色，唆使心腹們在暗中動手，先利用機會，挑動全族憎惡關八，再使各種謠言，繪聲繪色的播傳開去，破壞他的威望和名聲，到最後，巧妙的把保爺業爺的死責，轉嫁到他的頭上去，指謫他收編土匪，迫使萬家樓倒下十多條人命，等他為人所棄，孤立無援時，再應眾議，大明大白的翦除他，那時即使珍爺想助他，定也無能為力了。
利用宗祠集議時，暗召心腹來群控關八，該是翦除他最為便捷的方法，為這事行之順手，他也曾暗裏買通老二房、老三房的幾位執事，料想祗要執事們惑於謠言，更加上有人指證，當時就對關八起疑，自己翦除他就容易得多了。故此，他不惜著紅眼萬樹去追殺夜走沙河口的萬小喜兒，他更把十多個放在宗祠廊下的凶死鬼出棺入葬的日子定在宗祠集議的同一天，想用死難家屬圍棺慟哭的氣氛來撞動人心，好讓萬振全那幫人指陳出這些人是死在關八的手上。
他怕用這些還不能立使全族轉恨關八，就更另差心腹騎牲口直赴縣城，密報塌鼻子師長，說鹽市造亂的元兇關八，帶傷被軟禁在萬家樓，借江防軍之力來剷除他，自己好白領一筆花紅。
他也曾想過：假如塌鼻子師長敗走鹽市，不能利用他來翦除關八，那麼自己寧可冒結冤於全族的風險廢掉關八，而不願面對著一個像關八這樣危險的仇家；他知道，祗要關八睜著兩眼，終必會追本溯源的踩探出那本老賬來，甭說旁的，單就老六合幫被殲那一宗，關八就不會輕易放過自己的了。
他算過，無論使用哪種方式翦除關八，都不能讓關八或其他人知道主謀加害的是自己，否則，關八在他處的死黨和自己作起對來，那也是防不勝防，使人頭疼的事情，甭說他那干走鹽闖道的弟兄，就是小蠍兒那撥人再回頭，也是萬家樓的大患，存心要除掉關八不難，難就難在這點上，關八久歷江湖，能看得出人眼睛和眉毛說些什麼話，萬一自己在動手之前露出蛛絲馬跡，讓他留下話去，那可就後患無窮了。
雖然他業已暗替關八爺和可能為他傳話的愛姑定妥了兩口棺材，但當關八爺闖出木柵門，扶杖跨進宗祠正殿時，牯爺雖恨得牙癢，表面上也不得不故示殷勤，躬身肅迎著關八爺入內，請關八爺坐在珍爺那把空著的椅位上。
也許是兄弟心裏憂急，早起聽著祠堂裏響鐘，就冒冒失失的來了。關八爺朝列成半彎馬蹄形的各房族的執事們欠身說：關某雖是外姓人，這多年來風雨江湖，屢承萬老爺子父子兩代的照拂，沒以外人看待，故此我也就把萬家樓看為鄉井，我今天冒失來此，不敢聞問萬氏門中的族事，祗是替鹽市萬民，來哀懇諸位速伸援手他的聲音由宏沉轉為黯啞：我懇求諸位速速拉槍，解他們的困危，我關八雖是槍傷沒愈，也將帶傷臨陣，願為前驅假若諸位集議，認為拉槍赴援有不便之處，也盼能直言相告，容我到別處去連絡人槍。
關八爺扶著拐杖說話時，態度自然從容，毫無傷病虛弱之態，一番言語說得句句含誠意，字字露真情，把偌大正殿裏壓得鴉雀無聲，使兩邊太師椅上的人都呆得像木頭一樣。
八爺說的是。過了許久，牯爺才轉動眼珠，兩邊逡巡著望了望，跟著接話說：我們各房族，剛剛也正為這事集議著。您知道，援鹽市固然是刻不容緩，但也正因為鹽市舉槍，弄得這一帶地方兵連禍結，到處都是沓雜的難民，萬家樓雖有少數人槍，但也是為了禦防盜匪，安靖荒鄉用的，若為救援鹽市，把槍隊悉數調離本鎮，萬一遇上亂民匪盜縱火捲劫，伐傷了根本那可也不是辦法；與其到那時進退失據，所以事先得鄭重商量。
直至牯爺把話說完，在座那些穿著長袍馬褂的執事們才略為顯出些活氣，交頭接耳的歪著身子發出些問詢和議論的低音。
即使今天集議中無法除得了關八，我也不能在關八面前讓拉槍赴援的事商議出一個結果來！小牯爺暗自尋思著：我若把槍隊交給關八領了去，萬一抗不住江防軍，潰敗下來，不但蝕光了我的老本，且又開罪了北洋，萬一打退江防軍，關八在萬家樓各房族的眼裏，更成了英雄人物，那時想翦除他可就難上加難了！
當正殿上的人們紛紛集議時，小牯爺的一雙手卻在長案下面狠命的搓著，而同他併肩坐著的關八爺仍然神態安閒，沒把心底裏憂慮和焦灼放在臉上，他聽過牯爺的話，覺得他所講的不無道理，並非是拖延諉遁之詞，不要說是在萬家樓了，換是在任何地方，當著這種混亂的時刻，若說把防匪禦盜的槍支悉數調離，去救援遠遠的鹽市，委實也有難處。
他並沒過份企冀，祗盼萬家樓能抽撥出部份人槍來，打起救援鹽市的旗號，一路朝南拉下去，依自己的估量，一路上聞風歸效的零散人槍，必將多過拉出去的人槍數倍，祗要民間紛紛拉槍而起，不論槍多槍少，能否經得陣仗，單就這份民氣，也就足夠把江防軍這支孤軍壓垮的了。
他祗是在等待著萬家樓各房族集議的結果。他相信好歹總會集議出一個結果來的。萬家樓各房族，在萬老爺子理事的當口，一向是以賑救災黎，樂善好施聞名北地，使眾多江湖人物和饑饉的流民仰望，他相信在他們鳴鐘集議的莊嚴場合裏，必能綜觀全局，權衡輕重，不會讓鹽市待援的人們空等，也不會使自己失望。不錯，當朱四判官圖捲萬家樓那一夜，自己跟六合幫那些弟兄們確曾拚命的出過力，俗說：施恩不索報，何況在當時是義不容辭？他不希望萬家樓因為關東山的面子才勉力拉槍，祗希望萬家樓這些執事們能分清這事該不該為？
正殿上的人們在紛紛集議著，關八爺的眼光卻越過殿前開敞的屏風望到廊外去。在殿外的一列寬闊長廊上，一排十幾具白木棺材整整齊齊的排列著，每具棺前，都有一群披麻戴孝的家人圍在一起，拍地哀泣；有人手捧著倒頭飯在白燭前禱祝的，有人使鐵鉗夾著紅箔在焚燒，那些黑煙紅火上浮著生者的哀愁。
他想起這些躺在棺中的死者，就該是在萬家樓北，旱泓西邊的荒地上，跟小蠍兒那群人誤會接火被打死的，旱年看死人看得多了，單看遍野人屍並不覺得如何的大淒大慘，如今在看看這些為人母為人婦的家屬們哭地呼天，就覺一片慘霧愁雲直襲心底，使人有天昏地暗的感覺。
今天是？他轉望著牯爺問說。
他們出棺歸葬的日子！牯爺說：八爺想必知道，這些人全是被小蠍兒那幫人放倒的。這些死者的家屬們，有些很不見諒八爺，無論如何，在目前，那幫人打的是八爺您的旗號。
關八爺垂下頭，默嘆著。
我說，牯爺。過半晌，關八爺才抬頭說：我知道您這主族事的人的難處。祗怪我那夜帶傷冒雨奔赴萬家樓時，沒能立時跟您把話說明白，所以才有這場誤會；所以才倒下這多人，我關八是脫不了關係的，您真該落下柵門拘禁我，因為既是誤會，罪不在小蠍兒他們身上，我不能眼看萬家樓和小蠍兒再因此結仇！
八爺說得真夠爽快。牯爺說：但您可甭誤會，我吩咐槍隊封住街內各處柵門，絲毫沒有軟禁八爺您的意思，我業已說過，那祗是防著良莠不齊的難民湧進鎮來，弄得一片混亂，我想，八爺您是會體諒這個意思。
也許牯爺說話的聲音太低，蓋不住殿裏的議論聲和廊間的哀泣聲，關八爺彷彿沒聽著一般的，眼光又落到廊外去了。
黑色的紙灰在棺前飛舞起來，繞著伏地哀泣的人頭打兩個急疾的盤旋，便像是一群帶著鬼氣的黑蝶，飄漾飄漾的飛開去，在方形的天井上空抖著翅膀。兩班瑣吶班兒列在高樓前的平臺上嗚嗚啦啦的吹著喪樂，幾十個捎著扁擔繩索的抬棺人也湧進了天井。穿繩加杠聲，喪樂聲，孝子扶著哭喪棒的長號聲，接續不斷的起靈的叫喊，以及由哀泣的嚎啕，完全把祠堂裏的議論聲打斷了。
陽光分明在天井裏輝亮著，那種哀慟的哭聲足使陽光在人眼瞳中變成淒慘的顏色；一個白髮蕭蕭的老婆婆哭得死去活來，使她多皺的額頭咚咚有聲的碰擊著棺蓋；一個披頭散髮的婦人像發瘋似的嚎跳著，死死扳住抬棺人肩上的紅漆斑駁的木槓，啞著喉嚨喊著皇天！一群穿著肥大喪服的孩子，木然的攢著哭喪棒，手牽著成人的衣角，也茫然的尖聲的銳嚎著，但那些棺木總是留不住的，在抬棺人的吆喝聲中，引著那些一路哀泣的人群抬出大門去了。
這濃烈的淒慘的畫幅幾乎撕碎關八爺的肺腑，使他眼裏也跟著滴出血來；亂世死在槍頭上的人，多半是年富力強的漢子，上有年邁的雙親待伺奉，下有嗷嗷的妻兒待哺養，他們不該這樣被槍彈撕裂，讓爹娘失去奉養，妻兒失去依靠，這樣的死事實在太悽慘了。自己有勇氣頂著槍口去赴死，卻受不了眼見生者哀慟帶給自己的煎熬，日夜心念著承平，誰知那種想像裏的承平還有多遙？多遠？如今每一時刻，哪兒能聽不見這樣的泣聲？ !
正當關八爺凝神默想的時刻，忽然看見兩個兩眼紅腫的漢子，從廊外直撞進來，剛跨進門坎兒就匐下身碰著響頭，朝牯爺哀喊說：牯爺跟在座的執事尊長作主，容我們扒心剖腹說幾句話罷，他關八爺，八祖宗，八人王，就算萬家樓前世欠下他的冤孽債，有這十多條人命也該夠償還他的了！我們萬家樓多年不問外事，祗管萬家地面上不生匪盜饑荒，我們不虧欠鹽市什麼！他江防軍要是來犯萬家樓，我們拖腸破肚灑血拋頭的抗他，死傷全沒話說，我們可不能拋開萬家不顧，跟姓關八的蹚渾水！
這兩人潑風潑雨的把關八爺著實損了一頓，弄得關八爺一頭霧水，不知怎樣答話才好，祗好轉臉望著牯爺。
牯爺咳嗽一聲，抹下臉來說：在宗祠正殿上，有長幼，有輩份，怎容得你們這般不知禮數的胡嚷亂嚷？ !再不替我滾出去，我就要把你們倒吊起來，各抽你們三百皮鞭！roll!roll!
牯爺嘴裏雖這麼吆喝著，心裏雖暗讚萬振全辦事真不馬虎，在這種時刻當面損關八損得恰到好處，他關八雖沒直接殺害萬家樓這十多條人命，小蠍兒擊殺了人，他關八多少總得沾些血腥味兒，他不能擋著死者的兄弟站出來說話。
那兩個並沒有動，儘管賴在地上碰頭。
這當口，老三房的椅位上，有人出面來緩頰了。
牯爺您務請息息氣，老三房的那個捏著旱煙桿兒，伸著頸子說：他兩個年事輕，不曉事，說話沒輕重，原該受些教訓，可是，這兩個全是死者的弟兄，心裏哀痛，再說，這十多條關天的人命，並不能就此了結，冤有頭，債有主，不論是誤會還是什麼，萬家樓不能放過小蠍兒那幫惡漢！我們理族事的，應該讓生者無怨，死者瞑目，有話容他們陳述罷